Gifts
Introduction to Gifts Gifts are divided into levels: Level One Gifts are the weakest, taught to cubs and cliaths, while Level Five Gifts are reserved for the wisest, most honorable, and most glorious heroes of the Garou Nation. A beginning character may choose one Level One Gift from each of her breed, auspice and tribe Gift lists, thus starting with three. In the process of character creation, the player may use leftover freebie points to buy other Level One Gifts. As a character gains more experience, she may purchase more Gifts. However, the character must be of a rank equal to or higher than the level of the Gift desired, or she cannot possess it -- the blessings of the spirits won't settle on the shoulders of the unworthy. During play, a werewolf may learn the Gifts of other breeds, auspices or tribes, provided she can find a spirit (or other Garou) to teach her. However, these Gifts cost more than those normally associated with her own tribe, auspice, and breed. Learning Gifts Most often, a werewolf must either petition a particular spirit to teach her its powers or ask an elder to summon that spirit on her behalf. Traditionally, the Garou first travels to a caern with a power level equal to or greater than that of the desired Gift to petition the spirit personally -- to do otherwise is to defy tradition, which risks incurring the wrath of the spirit. But as more caerns fall to the talons of the Wyrm, many Garou are forced to make do with whatever places of power they can find, or even to summon spirits outside of caerns completely. Such slighted spirits often demand recompense or service before consenting to share their blessings. Other Garou, lacking access to a ritemaster capable of summoning spirits at all, must track down potential mentors and petition them directly in the Umbra. The manifold dangers of such ventures include offending the spirit in its home or mistaking a hostile spirit for a friendly one. Although werewolves speak of "learning" and "teaching" Gifts, the process is more akin to a blessing than a period of instruction. The spirit infuses some of its nature into the Garou, imbuing her with a portion of its mystical talents. Young Wendigo don't struggle to bend the wind to their will under a spirit's stern gaze until they get it right -- an air elemental blows into the werewolf's soul until bending the wind to his will becomes an essential feature of what the Garou is, just as it is for the spirit. Because of the mystic nature of this communion, learning Gifts is normally fast and simple, taking an hour on average, and no more than a night in even the most complex cases. Werewolves are also capable of teaching Gifts to one another, but this process is neither fast nor easy. Learning a Gift from another Garou is a long process of trial and error, of attempting to achieve communion with another werewolf and emulate the shape of his soul. At best, the process takes a full lunar month. Most elders strongly discourage this practice, viewing it as unacceptably risky on a number of levels. Once learned, Gifts cannot be forgotten; they become as much a part of the werewolf as her ability to speak or walk. Level Six Gifts are the blessings of the gods and the stuff of legend, even to creatures that walk among the spirits all their lives. Such Gifts are available only to the greatest heroes of a generation, Garou whose legends will be retold until the very end of days; and then only if the hero can make her way to an Incarna's court and fulfill a quest or deed for the godlike spirit -- such incredible powers are never granted in response to a ritemaster's summons. Because they are so rare, only a few representative examples are provided here; most of these Gifts are known by only one living Garou at a time, if that. Gift Lists Gifts by Breed | Homid | Metis | Lupus | Gifts by Auspice | Ragabash | Theurge | Philodox | Galliard | Ahroun | Gifts by Tribe | Black Furies | Bone Gnawers | Children Of Gaia | Fianna | Get Of Fenris | Glass Walkers | Red Talons | Shadow Lords | Silent Striders | Stargazers | Uktena | Wendigo | Gifts of the Wyrm | Black Spiral Dancers | Fomori | Gifts of the Others | Kinfolk | Skin Dancers |